Non-fiction: Ancient China – Journal Day 4
Ancient China
Journal Day 4
Today we took a bus ride out to the Great Wall of China. You wouldn’t
believe the size of this thing! With all of its branches included, the Great Wall is
more than 13,000 miles long. I didn’t see the entire wall, of course. But, what I
did see was unbelievable.
The wall was started by Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty. He’s
the same emperor who built the terracotta warriors. He began building the Great
Wall over 2000 years ago, but it was under construction1 for hundreds of years.
It was built to defend China from its enemies, namely the Huns and the Mongols.
The section of the wall we climbed was on the Mongolian border.
Today, the Great Wall is no longer used for defense. Thousands of
tourists go to China every year to visit the wall. Chinese people visit and climb
the wall as well. It’s a very popular tourist attraction2.
The wall is made of brick and it winds through beautiful mountains. There
are thousands of stairs to climb on the wall. Some are very narrow and steep.
The climb was difficult. At times it was so steep, I felt like I was climbing a
ladder. On the way down, I was sure to use the railing on the sides.
1
2
construction: the process of building something
attraction: something that people want to see
1
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Questions: Ancient China – Journal Day 4
Name: ________________________ Date: _____________________________
1. What is the purpose of this passage?
a. to inform
b. to persuade
c. to inform and entertain
d. to inform and persuade
2. Why is the Great Wall likely such a popular attraction?
a. it is a difficult climb
b. it defended China from its enemies
c. it is very old, very big, and has nice views
d. it was under construction for hundreds of years
3. The Huns and the Mongolians were ____________ of China
a. Friends
b. Enemies
c. Peoples
d. Tourists
4. How long did it take to build the Great Wall?
a. ten years
b. hundreds of years
c. a thousand years
d. two thousand years
5. Read the following sentence: “The section of the wall we climbed was on the
Mongolian border.”
The word border most nearly means
a.
b.
c.
d.
dividing line
tourist attraction
construction
branches
2
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Ancient China – Journal Day 4
6. About how long is the Great Wall of China?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
7. Why did it take so long to build the Great Wall? Provide supporting details from
the text.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the answer that best
completes the sentence:
The Great Wall of China has many steps to climb, _______ many are narrow
and steep.
a. so
b. and
c. yet
d. for
3
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Questions: Ancient China – Journal Day 4
9. Read the following sentence.
Thousands of years ago the Emperor Shi Huang began building the Great
Wall of China to defend China from enemies.
Answer the questions below based on the information provided in the sentence
you just read. One of the questions has already been answered for you.
1. Who is the subject of the sentence? Emperor Shi Huang
2. The emperor began what?_________________________________________
3. Where? _________________________________________________________
4. When? __________________________________________________________
5. Why? ___________________________________________________________
10. Vocabulary Word: railing: a structure consisting of one or more rails used
to provide a barrier or support while walking or climbing.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
4
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Answers: Ancient China – Journal Day 4
Teacher Guide and Answers
Passage Reading Level: Lexile 660
Featured Text Structure: Descriptive – the writer explains, defines or illustrates
a concept or topic
Passage Summary: The author describes her experience seeing and climbing
the Great Wall of China for the first time.
1. What is the purpose of this passage?
a. to inform
b. to persuade
c. to inform and entertain
d. to inform and persuade
2. Why is the Great Wall likely such a popular attraction?
a. it is a difficult climb
b. it defended China from its enemies
c. it is very old, very big, and has nice views
d. it was under construction for hundreds of years
3. The Huns and the Mongolians were ____________ of China
a. Friends
b. Enemies
c. Peoples
d. Tourists
4. How long did it take to build the Great Wall?
a. ten years
b. hundreds of years
c. a thousand years
d. two thousand years
5. Read the following sentence: “The section of the wall we climbed was on the
Mongolian border.”
The word border most nearly means
a. dividing line
b. tourist attraction
c. construction
d. branches
5
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Answers: Ancient China – Journal Day 4
6. About how long is the Great Wall of China?
Suggested answer: With all of its branches included, the Great Wall
of China is more than 13,000 miles long.
7. Why did it take so long to build the Great Wall? Provide supporting details from
the text.
Suggested answer: It would take a lot of people a lot of time to build a
wall that is made from brick and is 13,000 miles long.
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the answer that best
completes the sentence:
The Great Wall of China has many steps to climb, _______ many are narrow
and steep.
a. so
b. and
c. yet
d. for
9. Read the following sentence.
Thousands of years ago the Emperor Shi Huang began building the Great
Wall of China to defend China from enemies.
Answer the questions below based on the information provided in the sentence
you just read. One of the questions has already been answered for you.
1. Who is the subject of the sentence? Emperor Shi Huang
2. The emperor began what? building the Great Wall
3. Where? China
4. When? thousands of years ago
5. Why? to defend China from enemies
10. Vocabulary Word: railing: a structure consisting of one or more rails used
to provide a barrier or support while walking or climbing.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: answers may vary.
6
© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.